Shane Acker is returning to the realm of animated film. The "9" director will next tackle the CG animated feature "Beasts of Burden," based on the Dark Horse Comics series of the same name.

Reel FX announced the partnership, and says that "Turbo" scribe Darren Lemke is writing the script for the movie. Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson wrote the comic books, which tell the story of a group of animals that look into various paranormal events that happen in their Burden Hill neighborhood. Sounds like a story that's right up Acker's alley.

The central characters of "Beasts of Burden" are five dogs named Whitey, Jack, Red, Ace and Pugsley and a cat named Orphan. The characters first appeared in 2003 in "The Dark Horse Book of Haunting," and have had their own standalone graphic novels since.

This is Acker's first movie since "9," which was his debut feature. He earned the support of Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov for that film, and we'd love to see him get similar partners this time around. After all, we do know Burton has a soft spot for dogs.

Do you think Acker is a good fit for "Beasts of Burden"? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!